Work begins on A&E development

Construction has started on improvements to the Accident & Emergency Department at the Countess.

This will be the first phase of plans to improve A&E, with a new waiting area being created with more modern and comfortable facilities.

The building work is expected to continue into spring and, during that time, there will be an alternative entrance to A&E that will be clearly signposted.

New Night Entrance

The Night Entrance/Exit for patients visiting other areas of the hospital from 9.30pm to 6am will no longer be A&E and will switch to ‘Entrance A’, which is to the right of the main entrance under the bridge.

“Our A&E has been in desperate need for refurbishment for some time and with funding we have been given access to this year we’re finally able to start this work,” Chief Operating Officer Lorraine Burnett said. “We want to deliver a top quality A&E that our patients and staff deserve, but while construction is ongoing we would ask people to please bear with us and use the temporary access points.”

Additional car parking spaces will also be provided as part of the project.

Consultant Dr David Wilson said: “This is a great opportunity for the Emergency Department to improve the patient journey by creating a more spacious and comfortable environment for them to wait in.”

Additional information:

The second phase of the A&E project will use the space left behind in the existing department to improve the experience for patients as they move through the department

Using the Night Entrance: There is a map of the hospital on the wall on the right hand side as you walk through Entrance A, with a key to use this map on the left hand side. The new Night Entrance/Exit is ‘G1’ on this wayfinding map of the hospital here